A tradition alive in the treads

The Maya exhibit at the U's Goldstein Museum delivers a feast for the eyes.

By Pauline Oo

Published on June 9, 2005

If you look long enough, you'll start to see the animals and the
human figures; and the geometric shapes will no longer seem random.
Initially, upon entering the Goldstein Museum of Design, you'll be
dumb struck by the explosion of color.

From now until September 17, the U's Goldstein Museum in McNeal
Hall on the Twin Cities campus in St. Paul is playing host to more
than 75 items of clothing and textiles from Guatemala and 50 color
photographs of Maya people from various regions of the country. If
you've never been to Guatemala, this exhibit--"Maya Textiles from
the Guatemalan Highlands"--will entice you to visit. If you have,
the exhibit will jog your memory of time spent in this Central
American country.

Maya versus Mayan

The term "Mayan" is only used to modify the word "language"--thus,
it's "the Mayan language," not "the Maya language." To describe
anything else from the culture, such as the people or textiles or
food, use the term "Maya"-- which is used with both plural and
singular nouns.

The collection and photos, which date from 1930 to the present,
comes courtesy of University alum Richard Hanson. The Twin Cities
photographer approached the museum about five years ago with the
idea for the exhibit. Hanson, who has traveled to Guatemala and
other Central American countries every year since 1973, owns about
600 textile pieces from the Maya people. This exhibit represents "a
30-year retrospective" of his travels to Guatemala and his love
affair with an indigenous culture, he says.

To better appreciate the exhibit, pick up the two-page guide
listing the objects on display when you arrive at the museum. The
guide, which is divided by geographic region, is indispensable for
understanding what your eyes have latched onto or what your fingers
feel compelled to touch--the majority of the clothing and textiles
are not encased in glass, allowing you to get that much closer to
the intricate weaves and design details. Each huipil
(tunic or blouse-like garment for everyday wear or ceremonial
purposes), tzute (utility cloth), faja (belt),
corte (skirt), and cinta (hair ribbon) in the
exhibit was woven with a back-strap loom at a particular village in
Guatemala. And each village is known for a distinct weaving style
or design. For example, the huipil from Chichicastenango
has three woven panels, with heavy brocade extending down the
center panel; and the huipil from Nahuala has large
stylized animal or human forms.

Guatemala is one of the few places in the world today where
traditional textile arts from an ancient culture survive. The Maya
civilization spans more than 3,000 years in the rain forests and
mountains of what is now Mexico, Guatemala, Honduras, and Belize.
Guatemala has about 3 million Maya Indians living in its
highlands--this number makes up nearly 60 percent of the country's
total population.

"I grew up in a Scandinavian textile tradition and was very
curious about [the textiles in] other traditions," says Nelson, a
skilled back-strap weaver. "The Maya get such incredible and
sophisticated results from such simplistic ancient tools and
techniques." The back-strap loom comprises several sticks of
varying widths, a strap for the back, and some rope. To weave, you
tie one end of the loom to a post or tree and attach the other end
to a strap that goes around the your hips. You get tension on the
loom (necessary for the weaving process) by moving specific parts
of your body.

Nelson also credits his love of textiles from Guatemala to the
weavers' uninhibited use of "electric" color. "Every trip [back to
Guatemala] is a totally new adventure, there's always a revelation
about the textiles and culture," he adds. "Maya textiles easily
could be a lifetime study, and it is for me."

The Goldstein Museum, which is part of the College of Human
Ecology, is located at 241 McNeal Hall. Gallery hours are 10 a.m.
to 4 p.m. on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday; 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. on
Thursday; and 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Admission
is free.

(Nelson will present a photographic travelogue of Guatemala and
the Maya culture on Thursday, June 30 at 7:30 p.m. at the Minnesota
Center for Photography in Minneapolis.)